CNN reporter Kyung Lah, covering crime on the streets of San Francisco, has a car wreck

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For Katherine Donlevy

March 18, 2023 | 2:51 a.m

A CNN correspondent in San Francisco to report on the city’s “rampant street crime” had her rental car on Friday, even with hired security guarding the vehicle.

“I’ve been robbed. Again,” Kyung Lah tweeted after the attack with a picture of the broken back window of the car.

“We had security guarding our rental car + crew car. Thieves did it in less than 4 seconds. This is ridiculous,” he wrote.

Lah said she and producer Jason Kravarik were at San Francisco City Hall when the thieves struck and stole two bags from the car.

The CNN crew made the nearly 400-mile trip from Los Angeles to cover “voter discontent over rampant street crime.”

“San Francisco is a beautiful city. This is our third day here and I’ve loved my time here. But if you visit this city, know that even with hired security watching your car, there is no enough,” said the reporter.

The progressive city has been experiencing an increase in crime, open-air drug dealing and burglaries in recent years, leading to the retirement of District Attorney Chesa Boudin last June.

Although overall crime has decreased slightly in the first three months of 2023 compared to the same period last year, burglaries continue to rise: 525 burglaries have been reported in San Francisco since January 1, according to the data.

In December, more than half of the city’s residents surveyed told the San Francisco Chronicle they had been victims of burglary or theft, with illegal entry into automobiles accounting for the majority of reports.

Lah lost his ID and passport in the robbery, which would have prevented him from returning home under any other circumstances.

“With so many people breaking into their cars and stealing their bags, @SouthwestAir was very used to my lack of ID issue and gave me my ticket without a problem after a short security check,” he said.

Fortunately for the couple, the thieves abandoned both bags later on Friday.

The restaurant’s owners found Kravarik’s purse after the robbers threw it away during an attempt to break into a customer’s car. His computer had been removed, however.